(19)
(11) EP 1 225 682 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
27.07.2005 Bulletin 2005/30

(43) Date of publication A2:
24.07.2002 Bulletin 2002/30

(21) Application number: 02001427.0

(22) Date of filing: 21.01.2002
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)7: H02N 2/10
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE TR
Designated Extension States:
AL LT LV MK RO SI

(30) Priority: 22.01.2001 JP 2001013365
11.01.2002 JP 2002004198

(71) Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Tokyo (JP)

(72) Inventor:
  • Tsukimoto, Takayuki, c/o Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Tokyo (JP)

(74) Representative: Pellmann, Hans-Bernd, Dipl.-Ing. 
Tiedtke-Bühling-Kinne & Partner GbR, TBK-Patent, Bavariaring 4
80336 München
80336 München (DE)

   


(54) Vibration wave driving apparatus


(57) This invention relates to a vibration wave driving apparatus including an electro-mechanical energy conversion element (3) that is sandwiched and fixed between elastic members (1,2,5), in which a flange-shaped elastic member (5) is provided between the electro-mechanical energy conversion element and one of the elastic members (1,2). When a driving vibration is applied to the electro-mechanical energy conversion element, a vibration element excites bending vibrations and those bending vibrations allow out-of-plane bending vibrations to be excited in the flange-shaped elastic member. Since a rotor is brought into contact with the third elastic member (5) sandwiched between the elastic member and the electro-mechanical energy conversion element, the size of the vibration wave driving apparatus can be reduced. In addition, since a travelling wave produced by the bending vibration of the vibration element and a travelling wave produced by the out-of-plane bending vibration of the third elastic member are generated at the frictional surface of the vibration element, the output of the vibration wave driving apparatus can be improved.






Search report